Seniors Brad Pike, Paul Reddy, Justin Surber, and Will McCann are completing their Senior Service Project doing a wide range of tasks at Dressel Elementary school in the Lindbergh District. The focus of much of their work has to do with special needs students.

¨They are a bit more relaxed than SLUH,¨ said McCann, who typically arrives at 8:30 for his service and leaves at 3:00.

Coming into this experience, McCann was a bit nervous.

“I didn’t have any younger siblings so I never really had to talk to younger kids, especially kids with special needs,” said McCann. “I was nervous I wouldn’t know how to do it and I’d be all weird around them.”

Despite this, McCann learned quickly not to fret.

“That first day just taught me they really are just kids just trying to get through school and live their lives like we are,” said McCann. “It became really easy to talk to them, to just have fun. It went way better than I thought it would go.”

Each one of the seniors has a unique job within the school. Pike, for example, follows around a fourth grader with autism all day. He is there to help make the teacher’s job a bit easier and bond with the student, who enjoys shooting hoops at recess. Surber is responsible for helping kids with behavioral and learning disabilities. Reddy assists the staff in the speech and social skills room and helps with both neurotypical kids (those who don’t suffer from any disability) and those who are not neurotypical. McCann is based in the room for language and fluency. All four of the seniors have had the chance to bond with students and have gotten to know them pretty well.

McCann recalled a very special story from his very first day with a bit of a chuckle.

“So my first day there was this little girl. She walked in, came behind me, and told me to sit, and I said ‘What are you talking about?’, and she said ‘Sit.’ And pointed at this bean bag chair,” said McCann. “I sat down and she started piling stuffed animals on me and even gave me a little wand to hold.”

The seniors also serve the kids academically when they aren’t buried in plush toys.

“My room’s main focus is on reading. Kids come in for 30 minutes to an hour and we sit down and read and write with them.” said McCann.

McCann helps them keep their spot in the text, pronounce words they stumble on, and tries to enhance their reading experience.

The teachers have also helped to make the experience a good one by helping the seniors get adjusted.

“The teachers are really accepting,” said McCann. “They’re really grateful for the help. I’m extremely grateful that SLUH does this. It’s impressive to see the motivation, the tenacity of each one of them trying, not just giving up after 5 seconds. I’m super excited to wake up every morning and go there.”